Soon after the German attack on the Soviet Union, it became clear that the anti-tank guns at the disposal of the Wehrmacht were of limited effectiveness against light tanks and absolutely unsuitable for fighting medium T-34s and heavy KVs. In this regard, the German infantry, as in the years of the First World War, was forced to use improvised means: bundles of grenades, engineering bombs with explosives and mines. In bundles, 5-7 bodies of Stielhandgranate 24 (M-24) grenades were usually used, attached to a grenade with a handle using a waist belt, wire or rope. Moreover, each grenade contained 180 g of explosives, most often the "beaters" were equipped with substitutes based on ammonium nitrate.
According to German instructions, it was recommended to throw a bunch of grenades under the chassis, or, having jumped onto the tank, put it under the aft niche of the tank turret, and then activate the grating fuse. It is clear that this method of destroying armored vehicles was extremely risky for those who dared to do so.
In a similar way, but much less frequently, TNT and melinite 100-200 g checkers were used against tanks, combined in bundles of 5-10 pieces and equipped with a rope loop or a wooden handle, as well as 1 kg of engineering ammunition Sprengbüchse 24 (German Explosive charge arr. 1924 of the year). It could be thrown at a distance of up to 20 m using the handle on the outside of the waterproof box.
The Sprengbüchse 24 was a stick of explosive (TNT or picric acid) in a waterproof zinc or steel container with a carrying handle and three detonator holes. In the case of use as a hand-held anti-tank land mine, standard ANZ-29 igniters were used to ignite a 10-15 mm long fuse cord. Also, 1 kg charges when installing a DZ-35 push fuse could be placed under the tracks of tanks.
In addition to their own grenades and engineering ammunition, the German infantry used captured Soviet RGD-33 grenades for the manufacture of anti-tank bundles, of which more than 300 thousand units were captured during the initial period of the war. RGD-33 was adopted by the Wehrmacht under the designation Handgranate 337 (r) and was actively used until 1943. In addition, the Germans did not shy away from using incendiary liquid bottles on the Eastern Front, although of course on a smaller scale than in the Red Army.
As for anti-tank mines, in the initial period of the war they were used rather limitedly. Nevertheless, it was envisaged that Tellermine 35 (T. Mi.35) anti-tank mines with a push action fuse could be pulled under the undercarriage of tanks moving perpendicular to the firing cells and infantry trenches using a rope or telephone wire.
To combat armored vehicles and long-term weapon emplacements in Germany at the end of the 30s, a cumulative mine Panzerhandmine (German: hand-held anti-tank mine) was designed, which was attached to the armor with a felt pad impregnated with an adhesive composition. During storage and transportation, the adhesive surface was covered with a protective cover.
Inside the mine weighing 430 g contained 205 g of a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate and a tetryl detonator weighing 15 g. The main charge had a cumulative funnel with a steel lining and was able to penetrate 50 mm armor along the normal. Panzerhandmine was equipped with a standard grating fuse from a hand grenade, with a deceleration time of 4, 5-7 s. Theoretically, the mine could be thrown at the target like a hand grenade, but there was no guarantee that it would hit the target with the head part and stick to the armor.
Real combat experience has demonstrated the insufficient armor penetration of a sticky mine and the impossibility of fixing it on a dusty or damp surface. In this regard, at the beginning of 1942, the more advanced Panzerhandmine 3 (PHM 3) bottle-shaped with an aluminum alloy body was adopted.
Unlike the earlier model, this ammunition was attached to the armor using magnets. In addition, Panzerhandmine 3 was additionally equipped with a metal ring with spikes for attaching the mine to a wooden surface. On the "neck" of the mine there was a cloth loop for suspension on the belt. Panzerhandmine 3 was equipped with a standard grating fuse and a detonator cap from an Eihandgranaten 39 (M-39) hand grenade with a 7 s deceleration. Compared with the "sticky mine", the magnetic mine became much heavier, its weight reached 3 kg, and the mass of the explosive was 1000 g. At the same time, the armor penetration increased to 120 mm, which already made it possible to penetrate the frontal armor of heavy tanks.
Soon the bottle-shaped magnetic mine in production was replaced by a mine known as Hafthohlladung 3 or HHL 3 (German Attached Shaped Charge). With increased armor penetration up to 140 mm, this ammunition was simpler and cheaper to manufacture.
The body of the new mine was a tin funnel with a handle fixed to a getinax plate, to the bottom of which three powerful magnets were attached, closed during transportation with a safety ring. In preparation for combat use in the handle was placed a fuse from a hand grenade with a slowdown of 4, 5-7 s. The magnets withstood a force of 40 kg. The mass of the mine itself was 3 kg, of which half was explosive.
In mid-1943, the improved Hafthohlladung 5 (HHL 5) appeared. Changes made to the shape of the cumulative funnel and an increase in the mass of the explosive to 1700 g made it possible to penetrate 150 mm armor or 500 mm of concrete. At the same time, the mass of the modernized mine was 3.5 kg.
Sufficiently high armor penetration and the ability to be installed on armor at a right angle, regardless of the shape of the armored hull, made it possible to overcome the protection of any Soviet tank used during the Second World War. However, in practice, the use of HHL 3/5 was difficult and associated with great risk.
In order to secure a magnetic mine in vulnerable places of moving armored vehicles, it was required to leave a trench or other shelter and get close to the tank, and after installing a mine on the armor, initiate a fuse. Taking into account the fact that the zone of continuous destruction by fragments during the explosion was approximately 10 m, the tank destroyer had little chance of surviving. The infantryman required great courage and willingness to sacrifice himself. The ability to install a mine without exposing himself to mortal danger, the German soldier had only on terrain with shelter, during hostilities in the city or against a tank that had lost its mobility, not covered by his infantry. However, magnetic mines were produced in significant numbers. In 1942-1944. more than 550 thousand HHL 3/5 cumulative ammunition was produced, which were used in hostilities until the last days of the war.
In addition to anti-tank magnetic mines, the German infantry had a cumulative Panzerwurfmine 1-L (PWM 1-L) hand grenade. Literally, the name of the grenade can be translated as: Hand-held anti-tank mine. This ammunition in 1943 was created by order of the Luftwaffe administration for arming paratroopers, but was subsequently actively used by the Wehrmacht.
The grenade had a teardrop-shaped tin case to which a wooden handle was attached. On the handle was a spring-loaded cloth stabilizer, which opens after removing the safety cap during the throw. One of the stabilizer springs translated the inertial fuse into the firing position. A grenade weighing 1, 4 kg was equipped with 525 g of TNT with hexogen and at an angle of 60 ° could penetrate 130 mm of armor, when meeting the armor at a right angle, the armor penetration was 150 mm. After the impact of the cumulative jet, a hole with a diameter of about 30 mm was formed in the armor, while the armor-piercing effect was very significant.
Although after throwing a cumulative grenade, the range of which did not exceed 20 m, it was required to immediately take cover in a trench or behind an obstacle protecting from shrapnel and shock waves, in general PWM 1-L turned out to be safer to use than magnetic mines.
In 1943, more than 200 thousand anti-tank hand grenades were transferred to the troops, most of them entered the units on the Eastern Front. The experience of combat use has shown that the cumulative warhead has sufficient effectiveness against the armor of medium and heavy tanks, however, the soldiers noted that the grenade is too long and inconvenient to use. Soon the shortened Panzerwurfmine Kz (PWM Kz) was launched into the series, which had the same warhead as the predecessor PWM 1-L.
In the modernized PWM Kz grenade, the design of the stabilizer was changed. Now stabilization was provided by a canvas tape, which was pulled out of the handle when thrown. At the same time, the length of the grenade was reduced from 530 to 330 mm, and the mass was reduced by 400 g. Due to the decrease in weight and dimensions, the throw range increased by about 5 m. In general, the PWM Kz was a fairly successful anti-tank ammunition, guaranteeing the possibility of penetrating the armor of all existing at that time serial tanks. This is confirmed by the fact that on the basis of the PWM Kz in the USSR in the second half of 1943, the RPG-6 anti-tank grenade was promptly created, which, like the PWM Kz, was used until the end of hostilities.
Hand-thrown anti-tank grenades and cumulative magnetic mines became widespread in the armed forces of Nazi Germany. But at the same time, the German command was well aware of the risk associated with the use of anti-tank "weapons of the last chance" and sought to equip the infantry with anti-tank weapons, which minimized the risk of damage to personnel by shrapnel and shock waves and there was no need to leave cover.
Since 1939, in the anti-tank arsenal of the German infantry, there was a 30-mm cumulative rifle grenade Gewehr Panzergranate 30 (G. Pzgr. 30). The grenade was fired from a mortar attached to the muzzle of a standard 7, 92-mm Mauser 98k carbine using a blank cartridge with smokeless powder. The maximum firing range at an elevation angle of 45 ° exceeded 200 m. Sighting - no more than 40 m.
To stabilize the grenade in flight, in its tail section there was a belt with ready-made grooves, which coincided with the rifled part of the mortar. The head of the grenade was made of tin, and the tail was made of soft aluminum alloy. In the head part there was a cumulative funnel and a charge of TNT weighing 32 g, and in the back - a detonator capsule and a bottom fuse. The grenades, along with the knockout cartridges, were delivered to the troops in their final form, in cases made of pressed cardboard soaked in paraffin.
The cumulative G. Pzgr.30 grenade, weighing about 250 g, could normally penetrate 30 mm armor, which made it possible to fight only with light tanks and armored vehicles. Therefore, in 1942, the "large" rifle grenade Grosse Gewehrpanzergranate (gr. G. Pzgr.) With an over-caliber warhead entered service. As an expelling charge, a reinforced cartridge with a sleeve with an elongated muzzle and a wooden bullet was used, which, when fired, gave an additional impulse to the grenade. At the same time, the recoil became significantly higher, and the shooter's shoulder could withstand no more than 2-3 shots in a row without the risk of injury.
The mass of the grenade increased to 380 g, while its body contained 120 g of an alloy of TNT with RDX in a 50/50 ratio. The declared armor penetration was 70 mm, and the maximum range of a shot from a rifle grenade launcher was 125 m.
Shortly after gr. G. Pzgr entered service with a grenade with a reinforced tail, designed to shoot from the GzB-39 grenade launcher, which was created on the basis of the PzB-39 anti-tank rifle. When converted into a grenade launcher, the PTR barrel was shortened, a muzzle attachment was installed on it for shooting rifle grenades and new sights. Like the anti-tank rifle, the PzB-39, the GzB-39 grenade launcher had a bipod that folded in the stowed position and a metal butt that turned down and forward. A handle attached to the weapon was used to carry the grenade launcher.
Due to the greater strength and better stability, the accuracy of firing from the grenade launcher was higher than from rifle mortars. Effective fire on moving targets was possible at a range of up to 75 m, and on stationary targets up to 125 m. The initial speed of the grenade was 65 m / s.
Although the armor penetration of the gr. G. Pzgr theoretically made it possible to fight T-34 medium tanks, its damaging effect in the event of armor penetration was small. At the beginning of 1943, a large 46-mm Gewehrpanzergranate 46 (G. Pzgr. 46) armor-piercing rifle grenade with improved efficiency was developed on the basis of the Grosse Gewehrpanzergranate grenade. Due to the increase in the mass of explosive in the cumulative warhead up to 155 g, the armor penetration of G. Pzgr. 46 was 80 mm. However, this seemed a little to the Germans, and soon the Gewehrpanzergranate 61 (G. Pzgr. 61) grenade entered service, which had an increased length and diameter of the warhead. The mass of a 61-mm grenade was 520 g, and its warhead contained a 200 g explosive charge, which made it possible to pierce 110 mm armor plate at a right angle.
New grenades could be fired from a rifle mortar attached to the muzzle of the rifle, but in practice, due to the very strong recoil, it was difficult to make more than one shot with an emphasis on the shoulder. In this regard, it was recommended to rest the rifle butt against the wall of the trench or into the ground, but at the same time, the accuracy of shooting decreased, and it was almost impossible to hit a moving target. For this reason, the G. Pzgr. 46 and G. Pzgr. 61 were mainly used for firing the GzB-39 grenade launcher. According to the reference data, the maximum firing range of the grenade launcher was 150 m, which, most likely, became possible thanks to the use of a reinforced knockout cartridge. Before the advent of anti-tank rocket launchers, the GzB-39 remained the most powerful and long-range German infantry anti-tank weapon used in the platoon-company link.
In 1940, for the parachute units of the Luftwaffe, they adopted the 61-mm rifle grenade Gewehrgranate zur Panzerbekämpfung 40 or GG / P-40 (German rifle anti-tank grenade).
The GG / P-40 grenade, using a blank cartridge and a muzzle attachment equipped with a grenade launcher sight, could fire not only from Mauser 98k carbines, but also from FG-42 automatic rifles. The initial speed of the grenade was 55 m / s. Stabilization in flight was carried out by a six-bladed tail at the end of the tail, where an inertial fuse was also located.
The cumulative rifle grenade, which weighed 550 g, with an improved warhead equipped with a hexogen charge weighing 175 g, provided armor penetration up to 70 mm. The maximum firing range was 275 m, the aiming range was 70 m. In addition to the possibility of hitting armored targets, this ammunition had a good fragmentation effect. Although the GG / P-40 rifle grenade at the time of its appearance had good combat characteristics, a fairly high reliability, a simple design and was inexpensive to manufacture, in the initial period of the war it did not receive much distribution due to the contradictions between the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe command. After 1942, due to the increased protection of tanks, it was considered obsolete.
In addition to rifle grenades, “pistol” cumulative grenades were used for firing at armored vehicles. The grenades were fired from a standard 26-mm rocket launcher with a smooth barrel or from the Kampfpistole and Sturmpistole grenade launcher systems, which were created on the basis of single-shot signal pistols with a breaking barrel and a hammer-type percussion mechanism. Initially, 26-mm signal pistols Leuchtpistole designed by Walter mod. 1928 or arr. 1934 year.
The 326 H / LP round, created on the basis of the 326 LP fragmentation grenade, was a feathered shaped-charge projectile with a contact fuse connected to an aluminum sleeve containing a propellant charge.
Although the maximum firing range exceeded 250 m, effective fire with a cumulative grenade was possible at a distance of no more than 50 m. Due to the small caliber of the cumulative grenade, it contained only 15 g of explosive, and the armor penetration did not exceed 20 mm.
Due to the low armor penetration when hit by a "pistol" cumulative grenade, it was often not possible to stop even light tanks with bulletproof armor. In this regard, on the basis of 26-mm signal pistols, the Kampfpistole grenade launcher with a rifled barrel was created, designed to shoot over-caliber grenades, in the head of which it was possible to place a larger explosive charge. A new graduated sight and spirit level were attached to the left side of the pistol body. At the same time, the rifled barrel did not allow the use of either the 326 LP and 326 H / LP pistol grenades, or the signal and lighting cartridges adopted for the 26-mm rocket launchers.
The 61-mm Panzerwnrfkorper 42 LP (PWK 42 LP) grenade had a weight of 600 g and consisted of an over-caliber warhead and a rod with ready-made grooves. The cumulative warhead contained 185 g of TNT-RDX alloy. Its armor penetration was 80 mm, but its effective firing range was no more than 50 m.
Due to the significant mass of the projectile and, accordingly, the increased recoil on the "pistol" Sturmpistole grenade launcher, which was put into service at the beginning of 1943, shoulder rests were used, and the shooting accuracy was increased due to the introduction of a folding sight, graduated at a distance of up to 200 m. The Einstecklauf liner had the ability to shoot grenades with ready-made rifling in the tail section, and after removing it, the fire could be fired with old smooth-bore ammunition used in signal pistols. Based on the experience of combat use, in the second half of 1943, the Sturmpistole grenade launcher underwent modernization, while the barrel length was increased to 180 mm. With a new barrel and an installed butt, its length was 585 mm, and its weight was 2.45 kg. In total, until the beginning of 1944, Carl Walther and ERMA produced about 25,000 Sturmpistole grenade launchers and 400,000 pieces. liner barrels for converting signal pistols into grenade launchers.
However, the grenade launchers, converted from signal pistols, did not greatly enhance the capabilities of the German infantry in the fight against tanks. Since the range of an aimed shot from the "pistol" grenade launcher was small, and the combat rate of fire did not exceed 3 rds / min, the infantryman, as a rule, did not have time to fire more than one shot at an approaching tank. In addition, at a large meeting angle with the T-34's frontal armor, the inertial fuse located in the tail of the grenade did not always work correctly, and the explosion often occurred when the shaped charge was in an unfavorable position for penetrating the armor. The same was true of cumulative rifle grenades, which, moreover, were not popular due to the baggy method of application. To fire from a rifle grenade launcher, an infantryman had to attach a mortar, put a grenade into it, load a rifle with a special ejection cartridge, and only then aim and fire a shot. And all this should be done in a stressful situation, under enemy fire, seeing the approaching Soviet tanks. It can be stated with complete confidence that until November 1943, when the first samples of rocket-propelled grenade launchers appeared on the Eastern Front, the German infantry did not have weapons that could effectively fight Soviet tanks. But speech about the German jet disposable and reusable grenade launchers will go in the next part of the review.
